Hospital bed crane



Nov. 4, v1941'.

Filed March 3, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 4, 1941. F. A. sElB HOSPITALBED CRANE Filed March 3, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOR M ,M

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 vUnirsestares `ParaNr HosrrrAL BED CRANE yFrederick Anthony Seib, Union City, N..J.

Application March 3, 1941, Serial No. 381,489

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a body lifting crane and in particular, to ahospital bed crane for lifting patients.

An object of this invention is the raising and removing from a bed, orthe transferring from one bed to another of the human body, in a proneposition or with the trunk and leg members in angular relation, withinthe range of from a prone position to a substantially sitting position.Furthermore,V this invention is directed to the provision of means formechanically raising, removing from, and returning of a patient to a bedwith the least disturbance of the general position of the patients bodyand in particular, any reclining position, as distinguished from a proneposition, which may be dictated by the pathology or the physical natureof the patients ailment.

Another object is to provide means for judicously distributing thelifting eifort along the body of the patient when it is necessary toavoid placing pressure or strain upon certain areas of the patientsanatomy to avoid possible retardation of therapy and to spare thepatient from pain.

A further object is to provide safe, simple and rapid operability byeliminating all wires, straps, belts, pulleys, complicated and exposedgear mechanisms, multiple adjustments, settings and the like.

For a detailed description of the invention, reference will be made tothe accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view withone end of the lifting frame elevated and the sections of the side barsof the lifting frame locked in straight line positions.

Figure 2 isa perspective view with both ends ofthe lifting frameelevated and the sections of the side bars of the lifting frame inangular relation to one another.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the device with various positions of thelifting paddles shown in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View of a leg member and theassociated elevating gear mechanism.

In Figures l and 2 the numeral I indicates one of four base leg membersequipped in a known manner with casters. 2 is a hub positioned betweenthe extremities of each of the base leg members and is adapted to encasea gear drive which will be described in detail infra. 3 is a transversebrace member between adjacent hubs adapted to enclose a drive shaftoperatively connected to lthe gear drive in adjacent hubs 2 and having ahand'wheel E operatively affixed to 'one end thereof. 5 is a transversebrace member between the upper extremities of adjacent base leg membersand 6 is a longitudinal bracev member between'opposite transverse'bracemembers 5, 5,.

Referring now to Figures 3. and 4 wherein I is a base leg member, 2 a`hub positioned between the extremities of the baseleg rmember andv 3 atransverse brace'member between adjacent hubs, I9 is a drive shaftencased in'3Vv with a driving gear 2E) aixed thereto. 2i is a ldrivengear operatively engaged with the driving kvgear 2U and lis affixed vtoanl elevating'screw 22 riding on a suitable thrust bearing inI hub 2'.23 isan internally threaded lug rendered unitary with lifting leg member'I telescopically engaged in base leg member I and the; said lugisoperatively engaged upon the elevating screw 2'2. When shaft I9 andgear 20 are caused to rotate by turning hand wheel i in Figure`3,thegearZI responds and causes elevating screw 22 to'vrotate. Theinternal thread of the lug 23 responds' to the drive of the helicalspline on the elevating screw 22 and accordingly raises the lifting legmember l. The drivev shaft simultaneously' operates an identicalelevating Iscrew in the adjacentbase leg member thus elevating adjacentlifting leg membersr simultaneously. To lower legv members l, thedirection of rotation of hand'wheel` 1i is reversed. Thus the geadriveand elevatingy gear mechanism are fully encased within the base frameand it is to be understood that the course or effective length of thelifting leg member 'l may be increased by designing the hubs 2 at alower position along the base leg member I.

Referring again'to Figuresv 1 and2, 'I is a lifting leg membertelescopically engaged in base legY member I and operatively engagedwith the elevating gear mechanism as indicated supra, 8 is armale memberof 'longitudinal telescoping'lifting members 9 and is pivotally engagedwith lifting leg member 'i atta; 9 is the outer or female member of thelongitudinal telescoping lifting members, with a central pivot lil andengaged upon male members 8 as shown in Figure 2. A transverse abutmentmember Ii acts as a fulcrum for thev 'longitudinal telescoping liftingmembers Whenvthe members are employed for lifting a body with the* trunkand leg members in angular relation. I2 `is a transverse torque bracemember which is rendered unitary with adjacent extremities` of femalemembers 9 and, in addition to bracing` the lifting frame, preventsmembersy 9A from rotating about vmalevmembers 8. Locking Ts I3 areslidably and rotatably engaged upon member 9 when it is desired toeffect a lift with the longitudinal telescoping lifting members in astraight angular position, the locking Ts I3 are slid over the pivots I0and fastened to the member 9 by means of a locking pin I6 engaging asuitably positioned orifice in member 9.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, I4 is one of a plurality of suspendingTs slidably and rotatably engaged upon the member 9. I5 are suspendingshanks rendered unitary with the suspending Ts I4. I6 is a locking pinadapted to engage suitably spaced orifices along the member 9 to lockthe Ts I4 with suspending Shanks I5 in an operative vertical position.It is to be noted that locking Ts I3 also serve as suspending Ts. I1 arebody supporting members pivotally mounted upon the suspending shanks I5at I8. 'I'hese pivotable body supporting members lock either on a linewith the axis of the suspending shanks I5 or at an operative right anglewith the same by means of locking pins 24 engaging suitably positionedorifices in body supporting members I'I.

In Figure 3, the lifting paddles comprising I4, I5 and I`I may be swungfrom an operative position through 270 degrees and brought to rest onthe opposite longitudinal telescopic lifting member 9 with bodysupporting member I'I locked in straight angular position with shank I5,when it is desired to have all lifting paddles out of way as whenapproaching a bed with the crane.

Figure 1 is a showing of the crane in a straight angle lift but at anangle with the horizontal as when lifting a body from an inclined plane.It will be apparent that when a straight angle horizontal lift isdesired, the opposite ends of the lifting members are raised in unisonfrom an original horizontal position.

Figure 2 is a showing of the crane as when lifting a body from and in aposition with the trunk and leg members in angular relation. Such or agreater angular lift up to a substantially sitting position is renderedpossible by the telescoping longitudinal lifting members which providethe necessary increase in length of the longitudinal lifting members.

The shape or form of the body lifting members I'I may be varied as inIla, Figures 1 and 2, or in any other manner within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

When it is desired to employ the crane, it is rolled into position overthe bed of the patient, straddling the bed, with all lifting paddlesswung up and at rest over opposite longitudinal lifting members. Thelongitudinal lifting members are then elevated into the desired angularrelation to correspond with the position of a patients or invalids bodywhereupon the lifting paddles are individually and selectively swungdown and placed under the body to be raised.

Locking pins are spring operated throughout and automatically engageorifices when aligned with the same. On member 9, concentric grooving ofthe member in a line with the orifices as shown by way of illustrationat 25 on Figure 1 is practiced to eliminate the necessity for hunting onthe part of the operator. The locking pin, under pressure of a spring,engages a groove as the T member is slid along member 9 and the orificesin member S are so positioned that the pin engages the orifice when thelifting paddle is swung into an operative position. To release a pin,the head at I6 is pulled sufficiently to disengage the orifice when theT member is again free to rotate while the grooves 25 are so shallowthat mere sliding pressure on a T will pass it from one groove to thenext. The body supporting members, also by means of spring operatedpins, lock in a lifting position.

The lifting frame is then engaged upon the body of the patient. Byoperation of the hand wheels in unison, the patient is elevated fromcontact with the bed whereupon he may be transported away from the bedand returned thereto in a like manner.

I claim:

1. In a bed crane, a mobile base frame comprising base leg members, ahub positioned between the extremities of each of said base leg membersadapted to encase transmission gears comprising driving and drivenmembers, trans verse brace members between adjacent hubs adapted toencase drive shafts, the said drive shafts operatively connected betweenadjacent hubs to the driving members of the said transmission gears,elevating screws unitary with the driven members of said transmissiongears and encased in said base leg members, hand wheels operativelyconnected to said drive shafts, transverse brace members between saidbase leg members at the upper extremities thereof, longitudinal bracemembers between said last mentioned transverse brace members; and alifting frame comprising lifting leg members telescopically engaged insaid base leg members, internally threaded lugs rendered unitary withthe lower extremities of said lifting leg members and operativelyengaged upon said elevating screws for vertical displacement,longitudinal telescopic lifting members pivotally engaged with oppositeupper extremities of said lifting leg members comprising male membersengaged upon said lifting leg members in said pivotal manner andpivotally connected female members engaged upon said male members, atrans- Verse abutment member between said female members and to one sideof the central pivots in the same, transverse torque brace membersbetween adjacent ends of said pivotally connected female members,locking Ts slidably and rotatably engaged upon said female membersadapted to lock said central pivots on said female members in straightline positions; a plurality of lifting paddles comprising suspending Tsslidably and rotatably engaged upon said female members, suspendingshanks rendered unitary with said suspending Ts, including said lockingTs for said central pivots on said female members, locking pins in saidTs adapted to engage said female membersthrough openings in said femalemembers adapted to lock said Ts with said suspending shanks in anoperative position, body supporting members pivotally mounted upon saidShanks and locking pins in said suspending Shanks engaging said bodysupporting members with said supporting members in operative relationwith said Shanks 2. In a bed crane, a mobile base frame comprising baseleg members, hubs positioned between the extremities of the base legmembers and adapted to encase transmission gears vcomprising driving anddriven gear members, transverse brace members between adjacent hubsadapted to encase drive shafts, the said drive shafts operativelyconnected to the driving members of the transmission gears betweenadjacent hubs, elevating screws encased and suspended on thrust bearingswithin the base leg members and unitary with the driven member of thetransmission gears, hand wheels operatively connected to the driveshafts, transverse brace members between the base leg members at theupper eX- tremities thereof and longitudinal brace members between thesaid last mentioned transverse members; a lifting frame comprisinglifting leg members telescopically engaged in the base leg members,internally threaded lugs rendered unitary with the lower extremities ofthe lifting leg members and operatively engaged upon the elevatingscrews for vertical displacement; means for lifting the human body withthe trunk and leg members in angular relation from a prone position to asubstantially sitting position comprising longitudinal telescopiclifting members pivotally engaged with opposite upper extremities of thelifting leg members consisting of male members engaged upon the liftingleg members in said pivotal manner and central pivotally connectedfemale members engaged upon the male members, a transverse abutmentmember slidably mounted between the female members and to one side ofthe central pivots in the same, transverse torque brace members betweenadjacent ends of the central pivotally connected female members, aplurality of lifting paddles comprising suspending Ts slidably androtatably engaged upon the female members, suspending Shanks renderedunitary with the Ts, locking pins through the Ts and orifices in thefemale members adapted to lock the Ts with the suspending Shanks in anoperative position, body supporting members pivotally mounted upon thelower extremities'of the shanks, locking pins through the bodysupporting members and orifices in the lower extremities of the Shanksadapted to lock the body supporting members in operative relation Withthe Shanks.

FREDERICK ANTHONY SEIB.

